Reader comment

Sunday, February 6, 2011 at 11:30pm

We have one major problem with any mass traffic study in Nashville. The [city's] road system was never designed to move traffic smoothly or efficiently. There is no grid to work with like in other cities. New York for example has a north-to-south and east-to-west grid. Nashville's [historic] grid was good to start with, but for some reason once you leave the central [business district] area, it becomes a mix-mash of confusion.

39 Comments on this post:

By:Loner on 2/7/11 at 6:45

Good morning, Nashville!

Congrats, Captain Nemo, you have been recognized by the editorial staff of the NCP.

I notice that the term "Letters to the Editor" is not being used for these reader comments. That's a positive step, IMO. They don't seem to like my LTE submissions; so I quit sending them in....apparently, they don't need no stinking outsider opinions.

I can't comment on Nashville's traffic woes; I used the bus when I visited Music City.

I think that traffic circles, with gaudy "public art" in the center are expensive, foolish and counter-productive.....so get ready to have another one shoved up your tailpipe....somebody in a position of power is fond of traffic circles and "art"....power corrupts, absolutely.

By:govskeptic on 2/7/11 at 7:31

Capt: Again you are right! If one looks at a Nashville map you
see the old main highways around the city looking like a Wagon
Wheel with downtown being the hub, versus a functional grid. It's
certainly poses a problem for mass transit, especially light rail.

By:Blanketnazi2 on 2/7/11 at 7:57

and it makes it very hard to navigate for the newly relocated! with Chicago's grid you can look at and address and know where to find it, even if you've never been on that side of town. with all the Old Hickory Blvds and such in Nashville, who friggin' knows, right?

By:dargent7 on 2/7/11 at 8:30

Lord Nemo: Crats!
Anyone ever been to San Francisco? (not for the gay piano bars).
The cities mass transit is a hybrid of buses, cable cars, electric train cars, and subway, BART.
And talk about terrain. Nashville is FLAT, nothing compared to SF.
But, we just forked over $700 million for a new Convention Center. There's no money for a mass transit.
The furthest I have to drive is to Cool Springs or Franklin, which at 17-21 miles, each way, is pocket change as compared to large city commutes.

By:girliegirl on 2/7/11 at 9:40

Agree, Dargent7. Commutes here aren't worthy of mass transit, unless you're coming from Lebanon, and then, most of those drivers would prefer to have automobile access during their working hours.

By:girliegirl on 2/7/11 at 9:42

Also, it's quite comical to hear my husband lose his mind sitting in mild traffic here. I'm constantly reminding him of "real urban traffic" like we had in Atlanta, which allowed me time to read the entire Atlanta Journal newspaper during my commutes each day. HA!

I think any plan for mass-transportation in Nashville will one be difficult and two unique. I don’t know if there is another example of bad street planning anywhere in the world to match the mean streets of Nashville.

Even in modern time of the 1970’s the state planer build malfunction junction, where three interstate systems come to gathers and then add on and off ramps with in a quarter mile.(I-65, I-40, I24 , 4th and 2nd Av. )

By:Captain Nemo on 2/7/11 at 9:50

I have been in one of those commute of yours in Atlanta girly. The first time was back in the 70’s, it just got worse.

By:BenDover on 2/7/11 at 10:06

Nashville would have been laid out on a grid too if we didn't have to blast on every road. It was about the rock not a lack of planning; and once the main routes were established it's hard to un-do them. I think we'll see continued improvement though. Nashville is a good town in a good state.

The light rail seems to be very expensive for the small number of people who take advantage of it on the one leg we have built now. The area is dispersed based on a car model and not centralized like Chicago. It's hard to overcome the flexibility and convenience of a car considering the dispersed lay-out of the city and surrounding areas. I think an improved bus model would be good for Nashville and I think that's being worked on every year.

By:Loner on 2/7/11 at 10:22

I used the bus , back in 2004, when I visited Nashville. The fares were cheap, the people friendly and the coaches were clean and well-lit. I felt safe and the problem of parking my car was avoided completely...I parked it at the B&B and used the bus system. This also prevented me from getting lost in a strange city...that's a big plus too.
Of course, that was before I had GPS.

By:Loner on 2/7/11 at 10:25

Gotta run now...my vote for best SB ad was the KIA wormhole ad...the chimps driving-parking cars was second place, IMO....I loved those old Red Rose Tea ads with the chimp band...anybody remember those?

By:BenDover on 2/7/11 at 10:25

Nashville is easy to get lost in, Loner. It took me a few years to learn my way around.

By:Captain Nemo on 2/7/11 at 10:30

Is that a fact Ben, I didn’t know. However I don’t think that is reason enough. New York City built on rock.

By:Captain Nemo on 2/7/11 at 10:32

I bet you kept trying to find your way on Old Hickory Ben.

By:dargent7 on 2/7/11 at 10:34

What I've seen, here in Nashville, is that "the build up" is way ahead of the infrastructure.
I'v seen The Pinnacle, Sun Trust Bank, and now the Music City Convention Center (dtwn) go up in the past 4 years. New shopping centers, too.
But, no new roads. Just congestion.
The freeways, at 70mph, are a hazard/ accident waiting to happen.
The merge lanes are 1/4th the size needed to "merge", at 70 mph.
There's NO Parking downtown.

By:Captain Nemo on 2/7/11 at 10:35

I got to go too for a doctors check up. I will try to get back to this discussion later.

By:BenDover on 2/7/11 at 10:35

Once you figure out that it's just a big star with a bunch of jagged, concentric semi-circles it's a lot easier to get around.

By:BenDover on 2/7/11 at 10:35

Take care, Nemo.

By:BenDover on 2/7/11 at 10:40

The parking issue downtown does suck. One of the best things about the condo is not having to pay for event parking. The Downtown Partnership should get together and set up a satellite shuttle thing with free or inexpensive easily accessible free parking.

By:Loner on 2/7/11 at 10:55

Actually, I have a few more minutes before I have to run....Dr.'s appt.....routine exam....skin specialist....us old white guys are prone to skin issues it seems; there may be some irony in that...a little too white is not good.

I can believe that, Ben Dover. I still get lost in Rochester from time to time. Rochester is built along the Genesee River and its falls.

By:Captain Nemo on 2/7/11 at 1:24

Ben, I agree with you about the downtown parking situation. I have been advocating for such an option like that for years. We have park and rides in the outlaying areas; why not use such a program like that to move back and forth from home to work.

By:Captain Nemo on 2/7/11 at 1:34

Loner-

The Genesee River has to be one of my most memorable thought about Rochester. I took a break one day from the job I was on and went exploring the city. I ended up at a park were the Genesee flows into Lake Ontarian. I was not the only one there that sunny late winter day. The sun was warm and the temperature must have been 50 or 60 degrees. I sill can feel the warmth of the area and people that day.

By:house_of_pain on 2/7/11 at 3:47

So...anyway...

By:house_of_pain on 2/7/11 at 3:53

Nemo rides a monorail into a bar...

By:bfra on 2/7/11 at 3:57

And sees a bunch of Steelers, crying in their beer!

By:BenDover on 2/7/11 at 4:06

"What you waiting on man?"... "4:20... We're gonna pitch a bitch at 4:20".

By:Loner on 2/7/11 at 4:13

You must be talking about Charlotte Beach, Nemo; that's where the river meets Lake Ontario. I'm in Charlotte a couple of times a month; I've got a buddy who hosts Risk games there.

By:Captain Nemo on 2/7/11 at 4:23

Mike Munchak new head coach for Titans.

By:Captain Nemo on 2/7/11 at 4:24

This is how I vision myself touring Japan.

http://garywolff.com/monorail.JPG

By:Captain Nemo on 2/7/11 at 4:31

I don’t think that I ever knew the name of that park, Loner. Now if I ever get back to that part of the world I will know what name to look for.

By:Captain Nemo on 2/7/11 at 4:31

I have got more than a dusting of snow here north of town. It is a quarter of in inch.

By:bfra on 2/7/11 at 4:42

Nemo - Looks like good transportation! I can hear the squawks already, should anything like that be put in here. For a good laugh, just picture some of our elites (they think) using it.